Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko said on Thursday that his resignation as minister of Housing in the cabinet of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s without a specific political party was to make positive impact in the lives of the people of the State.

The Governor, who stated this in Akure while declaring open the 28^th annual national convention of Lions Club International where he was honoured with the Melvin Jones award, which is the highest honour of the International Lions Club, noted that he took the risk in the best interest of the people of the State.

Mimiko added that the mission was to make self sacrifice for the people, having suffered so long in the midst of plenty, expressing joy that the decision had made great impact on the lives of the people in the last three years.

He also said that the purpose of leadership is to render service to the people both at the social and political levels, noting that the philosophy of his administration and that of the Lions Club shared similarities in many areas.

Mimiko further stated that his administration has bridged the gap between the poor and the rich in the areas of healthcare and education, thereby bringing governance closer to the people unlike before.

He also noted that the administration has adequately deployed the resources of the State to meet the needs of the every common man in the state, as government does not need billions of naira to make impact on the lives of the common man.

As a nation blessed with abundant human and natural resources, the Governor stressed the importance of service delivery and purposeful leadership irrespective of religious and ethnicity for the nation to overcome the various challenges.

He said: “When I decided to resign my appointment as federal minister, many people thought I was crazy. How can you leave certainty for uncertainty. You don’t even have the INEC, you don’t have the police even there is no political party. I want to tell you that at that time, I preferred to contest and lose rather than not to contest.

“Thank God today; our people have continued to feel the impact of good governance. They have continued to see government as their own. Through the grace of God, we have been able to deploy the resources of the state to the betterment of our people. In the area of health, that of education and other areas, we have restructured government resources to add values to the lives of our people these are the fundamental things our people need”.

The Governor of Lions Club, District 404A, Mr Kola Oyekanmi in his remarks, lauded the state government for transforming the socio-economic landscape of the state in the areas of health, education and particularly urban renewal programme, which has made the state capital attractive and different from what it used to be.

The International Director of Lions Club, Engr. H.O.B Lawal, while presenting the award to the Governor said “this award conferred on Dr Olusegun Mimiko is not by accident. He deserved the honour. He is a man that believes in the service to the people and that is what we stand for”.

The International Lions Club of Nigeria is set to honour Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko with the Melvin Jones award, which is the highest form of recognition of the club.

The Governor of District 404A of the International Association of Lions Clubs, Lion Kola Oyekanmi, who disclosed this on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to Governor Mimiko in his office in Akure, stated that Dr Mimiko deserves the honour because of the unique similarities between his administration’s programmes and those of the club.

Lion Oyekanmi added that the club has watched critically the various noble achievements so far recorded by the Mimiko administration, which have impacted positively on the lives of the common man.

He further stated that the leadership of the club has the conviction that the Mimiko administration has convincingly delivered the dividends of democracy to the people, therefore, he deserved to be honoured with the highest award.

According to him, the club with about 1.4million members worldwide has touched the lives of the people at the grassroots which he said has a lot of similarities with the Mimiko philosophy.

The Melvin Jones Fellowship Award which is named after its founder, Melvin Jones is the highest form of recognition of the club, the recipient of this award becomes a model as a result of the exemplary service to the community for which it serves.

Governor Mimiko in his remarks appreciated the efforts of the club at adding values to the lives of the people, stressing that government alone cannot meet all the needs of the people.

Mimiko, who assured of his administration’s collaboration with reputable organizations with a view to transforming the landscape of the State, noted that the synergy between his administration and the people has resulted into massive development of the State.

He said “I want to thank you for what you are doing to the society. In actual fact, I’m not surprised at your achievements as a reputable club because of the calibre of people in the club. There is no way government alone can combat the poverty in this land, we need the support of people like you. You don’t have to be political leaders at any level to serve your people”.

As part of its effort to further improve and strengthen its workforce for quality service delivery, the Ondo State Government has organized a five-day seminar for its newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and Tutors-General at the Lagos Business School.

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko while declaring open the seminar in Lagos on Monday, said that it was part of a deliberately planned and sustained manpower development programmes instituted to support good governance.

Mimiko who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Rotimi Adelola, stated that the positive impact of the school on productivity of previous participants from Ondo State, gave birth to ‘COMSERVE’, an acronym for Commitment to Excellence Service.

He said ‘COMSERVE’ had captured the expectation of his government in the re-orientation, repositioning and effectiveness of the State Civil Service.

Mimiko, who said that the state government would continue to give priority to the training of its workforce, disclosed that more than 90% of civil servants had attended relevant trainings since 2009, just as this had enabled government to have a pool of intellectually and emotionally mobile workforce that could compete globally.

The Governor, while thanking the Lagos Business School for its support at all times, urged the participants to take full advantage of the seminar.

The Ondo State Head of Service, Mr. Ajose Kudehinbu, in his remarks said that the participants were the third batch of top civil servants that would be attending the Lagos Business School for training.

He said that the training would stand as a starting point for the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and Tutors-General, adding that it was a step in a right direction.

Mr. Dare Aragbaye who spoke on behalf of other participants, thanked the state government for organizing the programme. He assured of their dedication to duties at all times in order to justify the confidence reposed in them.

In the bid to further aid the mobility of its students, the Ondo State government has presented another 18-seater Toyota bus to the State Joint Campus Committee of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

The Special Assistant to Governor Olusegun Mimiko on Student Affairs, Comrade Olamide George, while presenting the bus to the students on behalf of the governor, advised the leadership of the association to make judicious use of it and never to indulge in any act of thuggery, especially as the state prepares for its gubernatorial election.

He stated that the state government has accorded priority to the welfare of students through regular payment of bursary and scholarships and by giving attention to matters affecting the lives of the students.

George also stated that the purpose of the vehicle was to eradicate the transportation challenges confronting the student leaders during their congress both within and outside the state.

He said: “The government of Dr Olusegun Mimiko is very much concerned about your welfare. The government is committed to anything that will bring progress to our students. I believe that you can all see what Dr Mimiko’s government is doing in Ondo State. I also want to plead with you that you should not involve yourselves in any form of political violence, particularly as we are approaching election period in this state”.

The Chairman of the Joint Campus Committee in Ondo State, Comrade Omotayo Oladele, in his remarks thanked the state government for the gesture. He however promised that the students will not hesitate to reciprocate the government’s gesture by being good ambassadors of the state in their respective institutions.